Slight Inconvenience
by Jessica237
Summary: [EC] Just because nothing goes as planned doesn't mean the outcome is ruined. Sometimes, it makes it better. Christmas fic.
1. One

**A/N: **I figured it was about time to take a step back to the E/C side of the street, heh. This is a Christmas fic (not a challenge fic, just a regular Christmas fic), and has three parts. As always, nothing recognizable is mine; and finally, hope y'all enjoy it:)

* * *

"Wow," Calleigh murmured breathlessly, her eyes glued to the window in front of her. "It's beautiful." 

Eric smirked, slipping up beside her. "Fifty bucks says you won't be saying that in a few hours," he quipped, leaning against the window. A tiny smile graced Calleigh's lips, and while her eyes were still locked on the scene outside, Eric let his eyes take her in.

He hadn't believed her when she told him she'd never seen snow. But now, watching her face and seeing the almost childlike wonder in her eyes, he knew she'd been telling the truth.

She turned to him, and Eric couldn't help but grin at the tiny pout on her face. "Why's that?"

He hesitated, glancing out the window himself. He knew Calleigh was eager to get home; she'd made that clear to him for the entirety of the trip. But now, with the newfound light in her eyes and the first genuine smile he'd seen on her since before they'd left Miami in the first place, Eric didn't want to be the one to tell her that the beautiful scene just outside the window was the reason it would be a while longer before they made it home.

It was the day before Christmas, and instead of at home in Miami, wrapping last minute presents (or in Eric's case, buying last minute presents), the day found Eric and Calleigh standing in a small town airport somewhere in North Carolina, an airport they weren't even supposed to be flying through in the first place.

The flight home was supposed to be simple. Straight into Miami; they'd have been home by nightfall. But certain events of the morning had turned that simple flight into what could be called a nightmare.

----------

_Calleigh looked anxiously at her watch, tapping her foot on the tile floor in annoyance. But after a moment, that repetitive tapping sound grew far more irritating than the lack of punctuality in a certain co-worker, so instead she stopped that, channeling her frustration into a particularly loud sigh. Leaning her head back against the wall, her eyes drifted toward the ceiling, and for not the first time in their stay there, she winced at just how clearly old and stale this particular motel was. Rolling her eyes at nothing in particular, she irritably crossed her arms over her chest, resisting the urge to yet again glance at her watch. "Come on, Eric," she muttered. _

_At this rate, they wouldn't even make it to the airport in time for their flight, let alone make it through security and get to the gate in time. And being Christmas Eve, what were the odds that they could actually get another flight? _

_Calleigh gave a defeated sigh, figuring all she would accomplish in angrily tapping her foot and constantly glancing at her watch would be making herself even more exhausted. It was Christmas Eve; she just wanted to get home. _

_A few years back, a case that Eric and Calleigh had worked had been traced back to a small town in Alabama. It had fallen under their jurisdiction, and that'd been the end of it. Or so they'd thought. But at the last minute, the last possible minute before the trial, there had been an issue with the Miami evidence, and it had brought Eric and Calleigh to Alabama. But now that was done, and they were on their way back to Miami. _

_If Eric would only hurry up and get downstairs. _

_Failing to stifle a yawn, Calleigh lifted her hand to her mouth, trying at least to hide it. She hadn't slept well the last couple of nights, but nobody needed to know that. Nobody needed to know she was anything less than at a hundred percent. Even for a plane ride. _

_It was another fifteen minutes before the doors of the elevator opened, revealing Eric to the lobby. Immediately, Calleigh crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes in a cold glare as he stepped off the elevator, making his way toward her. "What the hell, Eric?" she hissed, gesturing to her watch. She didn't even bother to feel bad when he flinched, both at her glare and her tone. _

_Eric avoided her eyes; an angry Calleigh wasn't exactly someone he wanted to be on the bad side of. He raked a hand through his hair, smiling sheepishly. "I, uh, overslept a bit," he said, knowing as soon as the words left his mouth that it was the wrong answer. _

_Calleigh stared. "You overslept." _

_Eric unconsciously took a step back, honestly afraid. "Yeah, uh, I guess the front desk screwed up. They never sent up my wake up call." _

_Calleigh gave another frustrated sigh, lifting her hands to rub her temples, hoping to ward off an impending headache. "Things like this happen all the time, Eric. If you'd listened to me, we'd be getting on our plane about now." _

_Eric's eyes widened; she was taking this far worse than he'd imagined. "Calleigh, I told you; I didn't get a wake up call," he stated quietly, trying both to keep his calm and not cause a scene. _

_Calleigh wasn't backing down though. "Then you should've set another alarm." _

_"Oh come on, Cal, like I knew they wouldn't call me." _

_"I didn't get my wake up call either, but I'm down here on time." Calleigh crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow in challenge. _

_Wisely, Eric didn't take that challenge. "Calleigh," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders apologetically, "I'm sorry, okay?" _

_Closing her eyes, Calleigh took in a deep, calming breath. She could tell his apology was genuine, and besides, it was Christmas Eve. He didn't deserve to be yelled at just because she wanted to go home and crawl into her own bed. She nodded slowly, opening her eyes again, reaching out and touching his hand just slightly. "Me too," she murmured, giving him an apologetic smile. _

_"Hey, it's fine, Calleigh. You're right; I should've been more prepared," he said gently, looking into her tired eyes, concern for her rapidly growing within him. "You okay?" _

_Calleigh nodded. "Yeah. I'm just tired. I just need some sleep." _

_Eric smiled, reaching around to grab her suitcase for her. "Well, come on, let's get out of here, and maybe you can get some sleep on the plane, okay?" he suggested. "I'll even let you lay your head on my shoulder." _

_Though she tried, Calleigh couldn't keep a grin from spreading over her lips. "How can I stay mad at you when you make me a deal like that?" _

----------

Though they'd missed their original flight, Eric, feeling bad, managed to pull some strings and get them on the next flight out. It wasn't direct to Miami though; they'd have to switch planes once. But Eric didn't mind, as long as it got them out of there, and as long as Calleigh wasn't upset with him anymore.

And, true to his word, he'd let her use his shoulder as a pillow. He'd felt bad that he had to wake her when they landed in North Carolina. Calleigh _had_ looked like she needed some rest, and she'd just looked so peaceful there. It hadn't been merely for her benefit, however. Eric loved the feeling of having her curled up against him. The tiny sighs that escaped her as she slept had almost been enough to completely undo Eric, though; and he could've almost sworn once that he'd heard her murmur his name, although that might've been wishful thinking on his part.

That'd been a few hours ago, and in just those few tiny hours, the entire outside landscape had been transformed. What before had been just an empty runway that eventually ended, green grass spreading away from it and toward a forest of green in the distance, snow-capped mountains watching over it all had become a sea of endless white. The sky had been threatening snow all day, but Eric had shrugged it off, figuring that since North Carolina was still technically in the south, it had to be far too warm for snow.

But obviously, he'd been wrong.

And despite the predicament the sudden snowstorm had put them in, Eric had to agree with Calleigh. There was no denying that everything all covered in white as more fell from the sky was the second most beautiful sight he'd seen on this trip; the first being the sparkle, the wonder in Calleigh's eyes as she watched the very scene unfold.

And it pained him dearly to know that, with this one piece of bad news, he ran the high risk of extinguishing that bright sparkle.

Anxiously, he slipped his hands into his pockets, avoiding the questioning look that'd come over Calleigh's eyes. He knew she wasn't going to like this. "I know you really want to get home, and I know it's Christmas Eve and you probably have somewhere you need to be, and it probably wouldn't be like this if we were in a bigger airport with more up-to-date equipment and the like, but…"

Calleigh grinned, tilting her head. "Eric, what is it?"

He sighed, resting his body against the wall. " Cal, this snowstorm's causing some problems." He lifted a hand, pointing half-heartedly toward a screen listing arrivals and departures. All but two of them were listed as canceled, and Eric would be willing to bet that the other two would soon be following suit. He shrugged. "It's too dangerous to fly in this kind of weather."

Calleigh's smile faltered, her eyes darting back to the snow falling outside, regarding it in a new light. "So you're saying?" she asked quietly, hoping he wasn't telling her what she thought he was.

"We're going to be here for awhile," he said simply, flinching as it seemed Calleigh was deflating right before his eyes.

"But it's Christmas Eve," she remarked softly. She let out a breath and slowly lowered herself to the floor, leaning her head back against the wall, her knees pulled against her chest. Granted, it wasn't like she had anything planned over Christmas, but it still didn't mean she wanted to spend the holiday stuck in an airport a few states away from home.

Eric sighed. "I know."

"And tomorrow's Christmas."

Despite the high chance that Calleigh might hit him for it, he couldn't resist giving a smart-ass comment. "Yeah, Christmas generally does come after Christmas Eve," he smirked.

Calleigh lifted her head toward him, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. "You're the reason we're in North Carolina to begin with, so it'd be to your advantage to keep your mouth shut," she commented, as though daring him to say anything else. Although, the effect was marred by the slight twitching at the corner of her lips that Calleigh was just unable to hide.

With a grin of his own, Eric sank to the floor next to her, patting her knee lightly in reassurance. "Hey, maybe this won't be as bad as you think."

Calleigh chuckled, looking to Eric with a raised eyebrow. "And just how might that be?"

Eric shrugged, looking out the window to the snow-covered land below. "Well, when you were little, didn't you ever daydream about getting snowed in?" he asked enthusiastically, letting his own excitement over the snow shine through. Unlike Calleigh, he had seen snow a few other times in his life, but nothing like this. And the fact that he was snowed in with none other than Calleigh Duquesne just made it all the more exciting.

"Eric," Calleigh began exasperatedly, "I've never even seen snow before today. Back home, I never even got a snow day from school, let alone the chance to think about getting snowed in." _And I'm glad for it,_ she added silently. Her family wasn't exactly the first group of people she'd want to be snowed in with.

"Okay then," Eric continued. "At least we're stuck in a place that has food. And shopping," he added with a grin.

Calleigh laughed. "I'm not even gonna ask why you're excited about airport shopping."

Eric gave a fake sigh of relief. "Good, because you'd probably laugh at me and call me names."

"Yeah, because_ I'm_ the immature one on this trip," she teased, elbowing Eric in the side.

Eric fought to keep a straight face. "Well hey, I wasn't going to say anything, but if you're gonna admit it so easily," he teased back, earning himself another elbow in the side. But he didn't care; before, Calleigh had looked almost ready to admit defeat, and now Eric had her laughing again. He could deal with a little pain in his side, especially since Calleigh's smile was all he needed to make it go away. He gave a quiet chuckle, remembering something from just a little while earlier. "Okay, the real reason I'm excited about airport shopping," he began with a wink, "is because I have fifty dollars extra to spend on anything and everything."

Calleigh watched him, slightly confused. "What?"

Eric grinned evilly. "Oh, don't you remember? You owe me fifty bucks." His grin widened as Calleigh's look of confusion grew. "Here we are, on Christmas Eve. We're probably not gonna get home until tomorrow evening. And it's all because of that seemingly harmless white stuff out there," he said, pointing to the window. "Snow. I bet it's not so beautiful now, huh?" he smirked.

Calleigh scowled, remembering the conversation from earlier. "It's still beautiful," she insisted, giving Eric a playful smack on the arm, "it's just inconvenient."

"Calleigh, how can a wall of solid white be beautiful?"

"Shut up," Calleigh demanded with a laugh.

"Pay up," Eric retorted, extending his hand to her.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, reaching into her purse, knowing that if she didn't, she was going to have to listen to him whine about it the whole time they were there. "Here," she muttered, pretending to glare as she pulled out two twenties and a ten. "Happy?"

"Very," Eric replied smugly. He grinned and rose to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some shopping to do."


	2. Two

Calleigh stared after him in amusement. Sure, he'd just won fifty dollars from her, but he was still far too excited about this entire ordeal. Calleigh even had to admit it; shopping, especially in an airport, was the last thing on her mind.

She shifted slightly, turning her gaze back to the scene outside. It was just like in the snowglobes that she'd had as a kid. The snow just kept falling down, blowing about in the wind, covering everything in sight. Despite the situation, it was still a magical sight. Having never seen snow before, nor even thought of a white Christmas, here Calleigh was, getting them both at once. It was amazing, and Calleigh smiled. Had they been anywhere else, she knew she'd be looking for Eric, begging him to go outside with her, just to stand in awe as the snow fell around them. And also so she could add to the list of things of things she'd won against him by beating him in a snowball fight.

Eventually, Calleigh grew curious as to where Eric had disappeared to , and she stood, stretching slightly as her eyes scanned the area, looking for him. It wasn't a big airport; surely it wouldn't be too hard to find him again. Lazily, she set off in the general direction that he'd gone, a chuckle escaping her. He hadn't wanted to shop with her during the little free time they'd had in Alabama, but now he was all excited about it? She couldn't figure him out.

After checking in a couple of the shops, Calleigh spotted him, wandering around a small souvenir shop. She smiled, making her way to him.

Hearing the loud clack of her heels on the floor, Eric glanced up, immediately knowing who it was. "I was wondering if you were going to join me," he said with a grin.

Calleigh grinned. "Have you ever known me to pass up any kind of shopping?" she sassed.

Eric narrowed his eyes playfully. "After you mocked me for wanting to do some airport shopping."

"Eric, I didn't laugh at you for wanting to shop in the airport," Calleigh clarified with a wink. "I laughed at you for wanting to shop at all." She crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "After you wouldn't even step into the mall with me back in Alabama."

"That wasn't shopping," Eric said matter-of-factly. "That was shoe shopping. One of the great evils of the modern world, just slightly more evil than in-laws, but slightly less evil than the crowds at Wal-Mart during the frenzy of last minute Christmas shopping."

Calleigh opened her mouth to protest - after all, she'd found some great deals the day before - but she stopped herself, a grin crossing her lips as realization dawned. "Oh my God."

Eric shook his head, slightly puzzled. "What?"

"That's what you're doing."

Her answer still didn't shed any light on the situation for him. "I'm doing what?"

"Christmas shopping! You're doing last minute Christmas shopping in an airport gift shop!" Calleigh said with a laugh, her eyes finally landing on the two odd trinkets he'd been holding the entire time.

"Well, why not? Have to do it somewhere."

"Oh, Eric." Calleigh chuckled, shaking her head. "Typical man. You're just now starting your Christmas shopping, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Eric said defensively, protectively clutching the items in his arms. "I was going to work on that this evening when we got back to Miami."

"On Christmas Eve."

Eric snorted. "Yeah, like you're finished with yours."

"I finished my Christmas shopping on the eighteenth, thank you very much," Calleigh replied smugly. She reached across, pulling a small teddy bear out of Eric's grasp. "What is this?" she asked with a laugh.

Eric laughed. "That, Calleigh, is a gift for Horatio."

Calleigh stared from him to the bear before dissolving into giggles. "Eric, it's a teddy bear!"

He grinned, taking back the bear. "Yeah, but look," he said, looking at the bear's face. "It has sunglasses."

Calleigh shook her head, watching Eric play with the tiny sunglasses. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Eric frowned, as though disappointed. "You actually thought I wasn't?" he teased.

"I just…Eric, it's a teddy bear."

"And for all you know, H may very well be a teddy bear man."

Calleigh snorted. "Personally, I don't want to find out." With an amused chuckle, she wandered a few steps away, glancing through a few items on the shelves. "Typical," she murmured, shaking her head.

"What's typical?"

"You," Calleigh said with a laugh. "All men. I just don't understand it; Christmas comes every year on the exact same day. Why do y'all have to wait to the very last possible second to start your Christmas shopping?"

Eric gave a defensive glare. "Hey, for your information, I have actually finished _most_ of my shopping. This is just extra stuff. I just figure, how can we go back to Miami without taking our coworkers a souvenir or two from our trip? Something that just seems like them. Like, the bear and its sunglasses for H. The little stethoscope keychain for Alexx." He grinned, pointing it out to Calleigh.

"Well, okay; what about Ryan?"

He snickered, holding up a stuffed weasel.

Calleigh laughed, playfully hitting Eric on the arm. "That's mean!"

Eric shrugged, still grinning widely. "No it's not; it's the truth!" he insisted. "And if the truth hurts, then so be it! I've never met anybody more of a little weasel than Wolfe."

Calleigh shook her head, though her eyes sparkled, showing her amusement. "Oh Eric, are you still bitter about that time he stole your evidence?"

Eric narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm just generally bitter when it comes to the guy."

"Well, maybe you should let it go," Calleigh suggested quietly. "He hasn't exactly had the easiest time trying to find his place there, you know? Think about it; how would you feel if you started out with everybody seeing you as nothing more than Tim's replacement? I imagine it's tough for him." She glanced up, catching Eric's eye. "I'm not condoning anything he's done or anything, but I guess I understand some of his motives."

"Criminals have motives," Eric smirked.

Calleigh sighed, biting her lip to hide a smile. "Eric."

"Okay, fine," he conceded. "I'll try to let it go." The last thing he wanted was for Calleigh to think less of him. Her opinion of him meant more to him than he'd admit. Still, Eric felt he could use a laugh every now and then at Ryan's expense. "But I'm still getting him the weasel."

Calleigh giggled, walking away and turning the corner at the end of the aisle. "I'd expect nothing less," she called back amusedly.

After a few moments of wandering around the shop alone, Eric once again heard her slip up behind him, and he glanced at her quickly, wondering where she'd gone off to. But he didn't think anything of it, and went back to walking.

"Oh Eric," Calleigh giggled, hands behind her back. He turned to her, completely taken by surprise as she stepped onto her tiptoes, a mischievous smile on her face. And then the world went dark.

"Calleigh!" Eric protested, pulling at the fabric that'd covered his eyes, hearing Calleigh laughing in front of him. He slid the offending material up to his forehead, uncovering his eyes, the unmistakable jingling of tiny bells echoing in his ears. "A Santa hat?" he scowled, pulling it off his head and staring at it in his hands.

"No!" Quickly Calleigh reached out, snatching it from his grasp before he could even blink in confusion. "Put it back on!" she demanded with a giggle, sliding it over his head again, this time not covering his eyes. "It looks cute!"

Again, Eric scowled as she adjusted the hat, stepping back to admire her work. "Cute?" he questioned, rolling his eyes. "Maybe on you it would be." He turned, regarding himself in a mirror. "On me it just looks ridiculous."

"Ridiculously cute!" she cooed, her eyes sparkling. "You have to buy it."

"What? Calleigh, I'm not buying the Santa hat."

Calleigh pouted. "Oh come on, Eric. You're spending my money as it is. Don't you think I should have some kind of say in what you buy?" She grinned. "And besides, you're getting everybody else stuff that sounds like them, right? That makes you Santa."

Eric let out a breath, rolling his eyes playfully. "And I suppose if I don't buy it, you'll buy it for me and make me wear it?"

"You know me so well," Calleigh replied sweetly.

"Fine," he said, unable to keep from smiling at Calleigh's amusement. "I'll buy it."

"And wear it?"

"Don't push it, Calleigh."

After Eric paid for the souvenirs, they walked out of the shop together, Calleigh with a small smirk on her face, and Eric with his Santa hat, though in a bag; he'd refused to wear it out like Calleigh had insisted. They'd then split up; Calleigh heading back to what had become their spot near the window, and Eric going to see if he could find something out about their flight.

Apparently, what he'd figured out wasn't good news. Moments later, he dropped to the floor beside Calleigh, looking a bit dejected. "They say the storm's still gonna get worse," he said. "There's still more snow, and they say the soonest they could possibly start flying out again is tomorrow morning."

"Christmas morning," Calleigh replied softly.

"Yeah." He sighed. "So I guess we'd better make ourselves comfortable."

Calleigh nodded, staring out the window to the snowstorm outside. "So, what are you missing out on?"

Eric lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

Calleigh smiled. "Come on, it's Christmas Eve and you're stuck here with me. Aren't you missing some big Delko family dinner or something?"

"Nah," Eric replied, shaking his head. "I usually go home and help my mom with some of the cooking on Christmas Eve, but Christmas dinner is always actually on Christmas." He winked. "So as long as we're home by tomorrow night, I'm fine." Eric leaned back against the wall, pursing his lips slightly. "What about you? What have I kept you away from?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Honestly? Nothing."

Eric tilted his head. "Nothing? No big Christmas plans?"

"Nope." She glanced up, seeing the surprise in Eric's face. "What?"

He shrugged. "I just figured; you were so eager to get home, I thought you had some big party to get to or something."

"Not me," she said, shifting slightly. She knew where this conversation was headed. "I just wanted to get home for the sake of being home. I don't like these trips like this. I just wanted to get home so I could get back to normal. So I could get back to work and wish for New Year's to come and go already so everybody else will stop obsessing over the season, you know?"

"New Years?" Eric asked, watching her intently. "What about Christmas?"

"I guess the whole holiday doesn't mean the same to me as it does to everyone else." She shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Eric…Christmas wasn't exactly the greatest time of year when I was growing up," she admitted quietly, avoiding Eric's eyes. "Sure, the tree and the lights were pretty, and my brothers and I enjoyed Christmas morning, but the rest of the time…" she trailed off, giving Eric what she hoped was a lighthearted smile, trying to give the impression that it didn't bother her anymore. That it was the past. "Really, where I come from, Christmas was just an excuse for my brothers to stay out all night, my mother to get drunk and lock herself in the bathroom all night, and for my dad to drink five times as much as her, and then take it out on…on me." She bit her lip, suppressing a shudder.

Eric stared at her. It was beyond him, how anybody could hurt the woman sitting right beside him. An undeniable surge of anger shot up through him, and he was forced to tone it down, lest he take it out on the closest wall. "Calleigh," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," she said dismissively, wishing Eric couldn't see right through her. She felt Eric's fingers gently stroking her forearm, and she was surprised not to feel her flight instinct suddenly go into overdrive.

She sighed, a wry smile crossing her face as she looked at the clock on the wall. "It was years ago," she said with a note of finality. "It's behind me, and I'm okay." She nodded, emphasizing her point.

Eric watched her closely; he wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her. It was so like Calleigh to insist she was fine, that it didn't bother her, but it still didn't change the fact that, sitting beside him, she just looked fragile. Mostly resisting the urge, Eric settled for simply draping an arm across her shoulders, pulling her ever so gently closer, smiling when she didn't pull away.

Instead she sighed, relaxing against him, the only obvious sign of any tension on her part being the concentration she placed in picking at a loose string on the hem of her top. "It's why I don't really do this whole Christmas thing," she breathed. "I mean, sure, I buy presents and all that, but that's the extent of it."

He stared at her, surprised. "Really? I always assumed you were the kind of person who went all-out for this time of year."

She looked up, shaking her head. "You assumed wrong," she said simply, meeting his eyes for the first time since the entire subject had been breached. "Why do you think I'm always the first one to volunteer to work on Christmas?" She shrugged, and Eric felt his heart break for her, not because the sadness showed through in her eyes, but because of the lack of that sadness. Calleigh really was completely apathetic about this whole time of year. "Nobody ever thinks anything about it, because you're all glad that it's not you that gets stuck working on Christmas."

She looked down with a sad smile, fidgeting slightly against him. "It doesn't bother me or anything. It's just the way it is, really. It's just easier, not having to put up a tree and then take it back down again. Not having to cook or do something equally stressful for a big family dinner. Not having to deal with stringing lights up in the tops of the windows or anything. It's just how it's always been for me since I got away from…from home. It's just like any other day. I get up, go into work, come home and throw something in the microwave, and then curl up in bed with a movie or a book."

Eric was honestly stunned. It was heartbreaking, the way she spoke so easily about this. And even more, she was being completely open, completely honest with him. No walls, no barriers -- just Calleigh. He was truly speechless. "Calleigh, I…"

She chuckled softly, reaching up to push a lock of hair behind her ear. "Eric, don't say you're sorry again, okay?" she said quietly, shrugging lightly. "I'm not. After it all, I guess I'd rather be alone on Christmas than around my family. It's kinda sad to say that, but you know me, Eric. I don't like not knowing what to expect." She paused for a moment, a shy smile playing on her lips. "But then again, here I am with you, and I have no idea what's going to happen next, and it's different. When you told me we'd be stuck here for awhile, I figured it'd be the longest, worst wait of my life, waiting to get out of here. But it hasn't been, not at all."

And finally she looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling as she gazed into brown ones. She smiled brightly, and Eric was genuinely surprised that her smile hadn't melted all the snow and ice outside; it'd certainly melted his heart. She shrugged again, neither her voice nor her eyes wavering as she spoke.

"You know, out of anybody else I could've possibly been stuck here with, I'm glad it's you."


	3. Three

"Calleigh. Calleigh…"

She groaned, murmuring incoherently as she shifted against him, unknowingly nuzzling her head further into the crook of his neck. She breathed out deeply, sending a chill through Eric's body as he felt her warm breath on his neck. He hated to wake her; he really did. But as he gazed out the window into the morning sky, noting its crisp, blue color, he knew he had no choice. He called her name once more, gently shaking her shoulder. She stirred against him, lifting her head from his shoulder. "Eric?" she mumbled sleepily.

He grinned. "Morning, sleepyhead." Reaching out, he gently smoothed out her hair. "Sleep well?" he asked softly.

She chuckled sleepily. "I don't think any kind of sleep in an airport could be considered good," she remarked, pausing to yawn. She sighed, her eyes widening just slightly as flashes of her dream came back to her. She ducked her head, hoping Eric didn't see the pink tint she knew was rising in her cheeks. "Oh God," she mumbled, another tiny chuckle escaping her.

Eric gave her an apologetic smile. "I hated to wake you, but I wanted to go check on our flight. It's stopped snowing, and a couple of planes have started boarding. I just wanted to see about ours."

Calleigh nodded. "Okay," she murmured. "Sorry I fell asleep on you again."

Eric laughed. "Don't worry about it; you needed the rest," he said, pulling himself to his feet. "I'll be right back."

Again she nodded, breathing out a sigh as she watched him walk away. A grin slowly spread over her lips as more of her dream came back to her.

----------

_Warmth. It was the feeling that spread through every inch of her, and in her still half-asleep state, she tried desperately to hold onto it, burrowing deeper under the covers. She held her eyes tightly closed, blocking out the first rays of the sun as they streamed in through the window, trying to pull her from her blissful state of sleep. _

_Vaguely there sounded a thump from downstairs, and Calleigh groaned, the last bit of sleep leaving her. However, she still didn't open her eyes, nor really move at all. She was far too comfortable to go investigate sounds downstairs when it would probably turn out that she was just hearing things. _

_And besides, the floor would be cold, so different from the cozy warmth of her bed. The very thought sent an unwelcome chill down her spine, and lazily she rolled over, searching for the warmth she always found in a certain pair of arms. But she couldn't help but give a disappointed whimper when she rolled over only into empty space. Bewildered, she finally opened her eyes, blinking sleepily in the early light. She mumbled his name a couple times, receiving nothing in response. _

_And there it was again, that strange thump sound from downstairs. With a yawn, Calleigh forced herself to sit up, glancing to the clock on the table to her left, the red numbers glaring back, almost mockingly. It wasn't even seven yet, but she should have known; of all mornings, this was the last morning that she should've expected to sleep in. _

_Resigned to the fact that there'd be no more sleep this morning, Calleigh slowly pulled herself from the warmth of the bed, immediately throwing her robe around her shoulders to combat the sudden chill that raced through her body. Sliding her feet into her fuzzy slippers, she padded toward the door and into the hall, heading down the stairs, a smile growing on her face with every step. Different images sprang to her mind, one after another, each of them involving their three year old daughter Emma and the assortment of wrapped gifts beneath the tree. She chuckled slightly; the odds weren't that good that any of the presents remained wrapped, considering Emma had inherited her father's penchant for mischief. _

_But as she slipped into the living room, Emma was nowhere to be found. Instead, the tree was lit, the gifts were still wrapped, and Eric stood in front of the tree, a sneaky grin on his face. Calleigh paused, her hands on his hips. "Eric? What are you doing up so early?" _

_"It's Christmas, babe!" he explained excitedly. "And Santa came!" _

_Calleigh giggled, shaking her head. "Eric, it's not even seven yet. The sun's barely even up." _

_He shrugged apologetically. "What can I say? I got excited." _

_"Eric, you're worse than Emma," Calleigh remarked, amused. "And besides, she's not even up." She paused, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. "And you left me. I was cold. And I missed you." _

_Eric chuckled. "Well, I guess I'll have to make up for that, won't I?" _

_"Uh-huh." She grinned sweetly, crossing the room to him. Lifting to her tiptoes, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, her arms looping around his neck. "How long do you think we have until Emma wakes up?" _

_"'Bout an hour, at the most." He grinned, gently tugging at the belt of her robe. Calleigh raised a questioning eyebrow, shivering as his hands slowly slid along her hips, pulling her closer. _

_"Eric," she murmured, a grin of her own playing upon her lips, quickly followed by a giggle. _

_He kissed her softly, pulling back with a wink. "I bet Emma wants a baby brother or sister by next Christmas." _

----------

"You ever think about that?"

Calleigh jumped slightly, chuckling embarrassedly as her eyes landed on Eric. "You scared me," she said, laying her hand over her heart in emphasis.

Eric grinned. "Sorry," he said, though he really wasn't. He wasn't sorry that he'd sneaked up on her. It'd given him the chance, albeit brief, to see Calleigh without her walls around her. She hadn't known he was watching her, and she'd let her guard down. He certainly wasn't sorry he'd seen her like that. "So, do you?" he asked again, lowering himself to the floor next to her, handing her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she replied gratefully, taking a sip. She swallowed, giving Eric a smile. "You remembered the sugar."

Eric chuckled. "Extra sugar, if I recall correctly."

Calleigh nodded, her eyes sparkling slightly. "What you find out about our flight?"

Eric raised an eyebrow; was she intentionally avoiding his question? "Oh, they say it won't be much longer. They hope to start boarding ours in about an hour or so." Gently he nudged her side. "Now are you gonna answer my question?" he teased. "Do you ever think about that?" he asked again, turning his eyes to where moments before Calleigh's own gaze had been trained. A few yards away, there was a young mother and her two small children, also stuck in the airport thanks to the snowstorm. The mother held the youngest, a baby of maybe eight months, in her arms, quietly feeding him a bottle. The other child, a girl of about five or six, played quietly with a couple dolls on the floor next to them.

In sneaking up on her, Eric hadn't missed the longing look in Calleigh's eyes as she watched them. It was the same look that resided there whenever she worked on a case that involved a child. The few times that Eric had been able to watch her interacting with one, he'd honestly been blown away.

"You ever think about having any?" he asked softly.

Calleigh sighed, resting her head against the wall. She raised her cup to her lips, taking a long sip, grateful for the chance to stall for even just a moment. "I don't know," she murmured. Truthfully, she had, just as he'd crept up on her. As the last wisps of her dream had faded away, she'd been mesmerized by the family sitting a few yards away, and her mind had wandered to the idea of having a family of her own, awakening a maternal longing in her that she hadn't really felt before. She sighed, feeling oddly empty. "I don't know," she repeated.

""Why not? I've seen you with kids, Calleigh," he pointed out. "You're a natural with them. You'd be a great mother."

Calleigh looked down, the ghost of a smile touching her lips. "I don't know, Eric…"

"Trust me, Calleigh. You'd be amazing."

Calleigh smiled sheepishly, nervously pushing her hair behind her ears. "You think so?"

He let out a breath, giving her a long look before he answered. He wanted her to look at him first, which she did after a few seconds of silence. "Yeah, I do."

She smiled shyly, giggling softly after a moment. "This isn't the part where we make some sort of pact, is it?"

"A pact?"

"Yeah, you know. Like, if we both reach a certain age and neither of us has kids, then we have kids together?"

Eric laughed. "You know, in ten years if neither of us are married with kids, we both may be looking at that idea a little more favorably."

"Well, that's a bridge we can cross in ten years, then," Calleigh replied with a laugh of her own.

For a moment Eric watched her, loving the sound of her laugh. He shifted slightly on the floor, his hand brushing against his bag, reminding him. "Oh, hey, before I forget," he said, reaching into his bag. "Merry Christmas," he said, holding out a small, wrapped box.

Calleigh blinked, making no move to take it from him. "Eric…what?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "The idea is that you're supposed to open it, you know." He reached out, taking her hand and placing the box firmly in her grasp. "Now open it."

Looking down slowly, Calleigh could only stare at the box in her hand. She breathed in deeply, unsure of why her heart was suddenly pounding against her chest. "Eric…"

Eric rolled his eyes, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Am I gonna have to open it for you?" he teased, grinning playfully.

Chuckling softly, Calleigh lifted her other hand and began to pull ever so gently at the wrapping paper, eliciting another sigh from Eric. Really, she was driving him crazy. "Calleigh, that paper cost less than two dollars. Just rip it off!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, briefly toying with the idea of slowing down even more, just to torment him. But curiosity got the best of her, and she pulled the rest of the paper off. Underneath was a simple, white box, and Calleigh glanced up at Eric hesitantly.

"Open it."

Gently, Calleigh pulled the top from the box, a soft gasp escaping her as a beautiful necklace was revealed to her. It was beautiful, yet simple; just the kind of piece Calleigh would love. And Eric knew that.

"Do you like it?" he asked, smiling.

"Eric…where?" She looked around wildly, not seeing anywhere in the tiny airport where he could've possibly bought it.

He chuckled. "I have my ways," he said with a wink. "You were wrong; I, uh, wasn't completely against the idea of shopping back in Alabama. I just couldn't go with you, because I had yet to find something perfect for you. And then I found this," he said, taking the box from her hand. He gently removed the necklace, holding it in front of them. "And this just seemed to have your name on it."

"Eric, it's gorgeous, but I can't…"

He silenced her, gently placing a finger over her lips. "Yeah, yeah you can. I mean, I'm not gonna wear it," he joked, eliciting a small chuckle from her. He moved closer to her, gently reaching out and lifting Calleigh's hair over her left shoulder. Unclasping the chain, he slid it around her neck and fastened it into place, smiling as it fell perfectly against her silky skin. He pulled back, looking at her admiringly. "See? Perfect."

She looked down, unable to keep from smiling as she gently slid the necklace through her fingers. It _was_ beautiful, and she did love it, but still she couldn't help but feel bad. She bit her lip, slightly embarrassed. "But I didn't get you anything," she admitted quietly.

Eric shrugged. Honestly, he didn't care. But he knew she wasn't going to let it go until she felt like they were equal. That was Calleigh. But he thought for a moment, and eventually he did come upon one thing he wanted from her. "Then come with me to dinner tonight," he said quietly, staring deep into her eyes. She finally looked back up at him, meeting his eyes intensely; unwaveringly.

For a moment she hesitated, biting her lip again. "I don't know, Eric."

He grinned. "Come on, Cal. It'll be fun. And then this way you don't have to go out and buy anything for me, since this is what I want. Please?" He reached out, taking her hand gently, linking his fingers with hers. "Besides, I wanna show you how Christmas is supposed to be," he added softly.

She didn't reply; instead, she simply gazed into his eyes. After a moment she grinned, and before Eric could react, Calleigh leaned closer to him, pressing her lips gently against his. It was soft, yet lingering, and the feeling of Calleigh's lips on his own sent electricity racing through every last inch of him. It wasn't how he'd imagined their first kiss (and, granted, he'd put a lot of thought into imagining it). He always thought he'd ask her out to dinner and they'd share a walk on the beach afterwards, and he would proceed to sweep her off her feet.

He never imagined he'd be kissing her while sitting on the floor of a crowded airport, on Christmas morning, while waiting for their plane to start boarding.

But somehow, this was even more satisfying than what his imagination had cooked up. Because this was real, in every sense of the word. This was real, and Eric didn't have to imagine the softness of her lips anymore. He didn't have to imagine her taste anymore, because now he knew.

Calleigh slowly pulled back, shivering herself at the intensity of what had just happened. She gave a shy smile, biting her lip. A bit of confusion came over her as Eric blinked and looked up at the ceiling. "What are you doing?" she asked with a giggle.

"I was, uh, looking for mistletoe," he clarified, training his eyes back on her after a moment.

Calleigh laughed; the sound music to Eric's ears. She captured his lips again with hers, kissing him lightly. "Well, there's not any," she whispered before her lips were again on his, this time much more deeply. She felt his hand come up to her cheek, gently cupping her face as he deepened the kiss further. Calleigh let out a quiet moan as her lips parted for him, granting him access that he gladly took. Her hand managed to end up on his thigh before she came to her senses, and reluctantly she broke away, blushing lightly. After all, they _were_ still in the middle of the airport.

Eric couldn't help but grin widely as he watched her. A shy, embarrassed Calleigh was an adorable Calleigh, blushing cheeks, swollen lips, and all. At first, when she'd broken the kiss, Eric had been afraid of her reaction. He'd been afraid she'd run from him, and then she'd force them both to ignore this for the rest of her lives. But the relief that spread through him when he realized that she too couldn't hide a smile was immeasurable. He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, surprised when she looked up at him, causing his grin to widen even more. He was fairly sure he looked like an idiot, but he didn't care. "So, that was a yes, right?"

Calleigh tilted her head slightly. "What?"

He chuckled. "Christmas dinner? You'll come with me?"

"Yeah," she murmured, nodding slightly. "Even though you manipulated me into saying yes," she teased.

"Hey, you're the one who kissed me," he reminded her with a grin.

"Yeah, and I'm gonna do it again," she replied, leaning into him. But just before their lips touched, she stopped, a thought coming to her. "I'll come…on one condition."

Eric stared at her, the sudden, evil glint in her eyes not escaping him. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what he'd gotten himself into now. "What?"

Calleigh gave a low, devious giggle. "You, ah, you have to wear the Santa hat."

Eric let out a deep breath, knowing it wasn't an argument he was going to win. Wordlessly, he reached to his side and into the bag of souvenirs they'd bought the day before. With a lopsided grin, he pulled the Santa hat from the bag and slid it over his head.

Calleigh grinned, a joyful sparkle in her eyes. "Perfect," she murmured, echoing his earlier sentiment as she leaned in and once more caught his lips with hers, kissing him soundly, her arms looping around his neck.

As far as Eric was concerned, being stuck in an airport wearing a Santa hat was only a small price to pay for what he could honestly call the best Christmas present he'd ever received. Sure, he didn't like being stuck in the airport, and the Santa hat sort of itched, but it was only a slight inconvenience compared to what had come of it.

And if it was by slight inconvenience that Calleigh Duquesne just happened to land in his arms, then Eric could deal with that. Happily. Happily, and for many Christmases to come.

* * *

**Merry Christmas, everybody!  
:)**


End file.
